“We came at this as rowers first” | 50 years of Concept2

Few companies have shaped the sport of Rowing quite like Concept2.

What started in a northern Vermont workshop by brothers Dick and Peter Dreissigacker has become, today, a global sports manufacturing force, with their products used on the waters of the Olympic Games, in rowing clubs and fitness studios, on navy ships, in gyms, and in homes.

For many rowers, Concept2 is synonymous with Indoor Rowing. Alex Dunne from Concept2 says the company’s lasting success comes from a simple approach.

“Since the start, we’ve made things we’d want to use ourselves, and we’ve made them to last. We came at this as rowers first,” he says.

Built to Last 50 Years: Inside Concept2’s Quiet Revolution

This mindset has shaped Concept2 from making oars in the early days to creating Indoor Rowing machines used around the world. It also led to a business model focused on long-lasting products, even when that wasn’t the most obvious business choice.

For example, Concept2 is committed to backwards compatibility. You can still add a modern Performance Monitor to some of their oldest machines, and replacement parts are easy to find even years later.

“We’d rather a customer keep a machine for 25 years than feel pushed to replace it,” Dunne explains.

“A Company That Can Never Be Sold

A recent change in ownership has strengthened the company’s long-term vision. Founders Dick and Pete Dreissigacker set up the Concept2 Perpetual Purpose Trust, which means the business can’t be sold and profits go back into the company and its community.

For most users, daily life hasn’t changed. But behind the scenes, this new structure keeps Concept2’s mission safe for the future.

“The original vision stays intact with the employees to carry it forward,” says Dunne.

Concept2 makes its equipment in Vermont, but its worldwide presence depends on a network of distributors and resellers. Many of them have partnered with Concept2 for over thirty years, bringing rowing to new places and people.

“Indoor Rowing is genuinely global now,” says Dunne. “That reach wouldn’t exist without our distributors and colleagues who share the same values as us.”

Beyond the Boathouse | The Erg Goes Mainstream

Indoor Rowing has grown a lot in recent decades. What started as a winter training tool for rowers is now a popular fitness product used by millions, even by people who have never rowed on water. Functional fitness competitions have accelerated that trend. Whether they arrive through Rowing clubs, gyms, or home fitness programmes, the attraction often remains the same: the ability to measure progress accurately and compare performances over time.

Data has always been a key part of using Concept2. From the first Indoor Rowing races in Boston in 1982 to today’s online events, being able to compare results fairly has helped build a strong and active community.

“The fact that you can compare your 2,000m time to someone on the other side of the world, and know the comparison is valid, has driven a lot of the community that has built up around Indoor Rowing,” says Dunne.

Building the Connected Training Ecosystem

As technology changes, so do user expectations. More athletes want connected training data and easy ways to track and share their workouts. Concept2 is investing in new software and digital tools but still aims to keep things simple for users.

Concept2 is also adding new hardware. Their latest product, the StrengthErg, uses their flywheel technology for strength training. It gives resistance based on how hard you work. Rowers can use it to support both indoor and on-water training, and it connects with Concept2’s data tools. Clubs use the StrengthErg for group workouts, rehab, and off-season training. Individual athletes use it to work on muscles that rowing doesn’t target and to track their strength progress. This helps users combine cardio and strength training with technology they already know.

Indoor Rowing – And Where Rowing is Headed

 

Dunne believes Indoor Rowing now has a solid place in the fitness world. “What we can see is that Indoor Rowing has established itself as a permanent fixture in the wider fitness ecosystem,” he says.

 

As Indoor Rowing has grown, so has Concept2’s partnership with the sport’s global governing body. World Rowing now includes events such as the World Rowing Indoor Championships and the Singapore Super60, all of which use Concept2 equipment. Dunne says this partnership is more than just supplying machines—it’s about combining World Rowing’s events with Concept2’s technology to help the sport grow faster than either could alone.

Our partnership with World Rowing is a genuine 1+1=3 — it’s not just us providing the ergs and them providing the events,” says Dunne. “They bring the global competitive platform, from the World Rowing Indoor Championships down to grassroots events like the Singapore Super60, and we bring the technology and the connected experience that ties it all together.

“Together, we can do more to support Indoor Rowing’s growth than either of us could on our own. And as the conversation around the discipline’s Olympic future continues, especially with the IOC’s new Olympic Esports Games on the horizon, we think Indoor Rowing is exactly the kind of sport that can take this to a genuinely global scale.”